Operating at a higher purpose

Today, we’re featuring a new installment in our ongoing ‘Quotes From’ series, where we share insightful and inspirational quotes from leaders and industry experts from all over the world regarding a specific topic. Today’s topic revolves around success and operating with a higher purpose.

We’ve spoken a great deal on the blog here about the importance of purpose—both for the individual and for the greater whole that is a company or organisation. The fact of the matter is that we work better when there’s a purpose we’re working toward. People want to feel that there’s meaning and significance in the work that they do.

Without this sense of purpose, work is just work. It becomes nothing more than a mundane routine. Employees become bored or dissatisfied or both because their tasks don’t sate the soul’s appetite for purpose. When you give your work purpose, however, and demonstrate to your employees how their contribution plays a part in a bigger scheme that has meaning and significance, people’s attitudes toward their jobs change. They’re better able to recognize how what they do makes a difference, and it’s a motivating force.

Below, you’ll see quotes from some of the most successful CEO’s in the world who understood the importance of operating at a higher purpose in business.

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“At the end of the day, you want to be profitable, but that’s not the meaning of life.” -Daniel Lamarre, Cirque du Soleil

“To be truly successful, companies need to have a corporate mission that is bigger than making a profit.” -Marc Benioff, Salesforce

“We have to bring this world back to sanity and put the greater good ahead of self-interest.” -Paul Polman, Unilever

“I’m here to build something for the long-term. Anything else is a distraction.” -Mark Zuckerberg, Facebook

“Essentially being a for-profit creates opportunity for doing greater good. And financial success as a for-profit with a social conscious carries greater credibility with your peers, potentially influencing actions of other businesses.” -Brian Walker, Herman Miller

“The blind pursuit of profit at all costs is untenable. It is essential that we make money the right way. After all, if communities suffer as a result of a company’s actions, those returns are not sustainable.” -Indra K. Nooyi, PepsiCo

“I think if the people who work for a business are proud of the business they work for, they’ll work that much harder, and therefore, I think turning your business into a real force for good is good business sense as well.” -Richard Branson, Virgin

“When you’re surrounded by people who share a passionate commitment around a common purpose, anything is possible.” -Howard Schultz, Starbucks

“Just as people cannot live without eating, so a business cannot live without profits. But most people don’t live to eat, and neither must businesses live just to make profits.” -John Mackey, Whole Foods

“Money motivates neither the best people, nor the best in people. It can move the body and influence the mind, but it cannot touch the heart or move the spirit; that is reserved for belief, principle, and morality.” -Dee Hock, Visa

“People want to do well and do good. They want to understand how they’re making a difference in the world. Things change all the time, but your organization’s purpose transcends any individual product or service.” -Mark Weinberger, EY

“Our business success is directly linked to enhancing the well-being of the people who make and enjoy our products and to supporting the communities where we grow our ingredients.” -Irene Rosenfeld, Mondelēz

“Make meaning not money.” -Brian Scudamore, O2E Brands

“The real goal of what we’re doing is to have a positive impact on the world.” -Ed Catmull, Pixar

“An organization’s culture of purpose answers the critical questions of who it is and why it exists. They have a culture of purpose beyond making a profit.” -Punit Renjen, Deloitte

“Success is not sustainable if it is defined by how big you become or by growth for growth’s sake. Success is very shallow if it doesn’t have emotional meaning.” -Howard Schultz, Starbucks

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If you want to start incorporating a higher purpose into your organisation, why not start out with creating or reimagining your company’s mission statement? Check out my article here to learn more about why the company mission statement is important and how it can help motivate your employees and bring a sense of purpose to their work.